


The Hunger Games: Memento Mori

by Ashlex_in_pearl



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Unus Annus - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Breaking canon, Drama, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Madness, Platonic Relationships, Unus and Annus are their own people, Violence, YouTube, transcribing a video as a fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26845813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashlex_in_pearl/pseuds/Ashlex_in_pearl
Summary: Another year, another round of the Hunger Games. This time, it seems the rules are a little bit different, tributes chosen a little less random. Unus was chosen, but Annus wasn't about to let him go and have all the fun on his own. Together, they are determined to win it all.(Primarily based on the Unus Annus Youtuber Hunger Games video)***Progress slowed for NaNoWriMo***
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> First off, let me preface this by saying: this is absolutely not canon compliant with the actual Hunger Games. Anyone who has seen the movies, read the books, and watched this particular Unus Annus video will know that. I don't intend to make it that way. This is simply a telling of the tale portrayed in the video in question in a way that actually makes sense. That being said, the ending has been altered a bit from what originally happened because I hold the power here and I have a story I want to tell. Also, Mark and Ethan have been removed from the game and replaced with likely nameless entities that, well they die anyway so it doesn't matter. 
> 
> Since this will surely outlive the channel, I will include a link to a doc that has screenshots of all the tribute encounters from the video, something I had to make to use as a resource just short of downloading the video myself (I resisted the urge)
> 
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KD4iUet8YOczFDbhZzEpRyALUl1n6YgwFzDadG0FyAo/edit?usp=sharing

The interview came to a screeching halt as the reporters' question hung heavy in the air. The photographers and other reporters didn't seem to notice as they continued to try and get as much as they could from the young man before them. They couldn't feel the temperature drop in the room, didn't notice as his face fell to a ghastly white. They didn't care. It was all just more to write about. 

Ethan Nestor-Darling, better known to those before him as Unus, stood behind the microphone in his neatly pressed all black, three piece suit, finally back home. It seemed like just yesterday he stood there with his partner by his side, the one person in this world he knew he could trust. Now, alone, Unus faced this story again with him, without his closest friend. He'd always been the one to do most of the talking, a natural gift for speaking that Unus had never really been able to master. 

"What would your partner think, were he here today?" The question had caught Unus off guard. He knew it shouldn't have, he should have expected it, but… His hands, folded together in front of him, were starting to shake slightly, the raw emotions building up inside of him. His hair, which had been neatly slicked back for the pictures, started to fall forward one strand at a time as he lowered his chin. He closed his eyes… and he could recall the scene very clearly… The last time he had seen Annus.

_**357 days prior…** _

The march. All of the tributes marched out towards the arena in a line, all riding to face their death. Did they have plans? Were they prepared to have to kill each other to survive? Did they even realize what they were doing this for? 

"Ethan," Unus' attention was brought back to the present, beside him to his partner and teammate, Mark Fischbach, Annus as he went by, "Take this."

Annus discreetly passed a small detonator to Unus, a single button in the center, all while continuing to smile that charming smile and wave to the onlookers as they passed. He wasn't even looking at Unus, but the movement was fluid as if both of them had been conscious of the action. 

Unus held the button firmly in his palm, closing his fist around it as he straightened his back to look around them, "What's this for?" He questioned quietly. 

"When you hear the horn, press it," Annus sat back, turning his head to look beside him to his partner, "You wanted to start off with a bang, here's your chance."

Unus smiled, meeting the others' eyes, but he was perplexed by the offer, "I suggested it because I figured you'd want to have a bit of chaotic fun from the start."

"And put the target on my back immediately? No, you'll be discreet. I trust you to do that."

The tributes from district 3, Mark Fishbach and Ethan Nestor, were young businessmen who had an amazing first few months. Their brand, Unus Annus, was all about taking the chance to enjoy life for what it was. They sold any number of things from household products to weapons to toys. It was less about the thing itself and more about the idea that at any moment your life could come to an end. Who they were in the public eye was different from what they were in private, such in the case with most celebrities, but Annus knew he was the one who liked to make a bigger scene. He had the tendency to throw himself out there and make a spectacle of himself for the sake of the brand. Unus, on the other hand, was less so. He had his moments, but he more used rational thinking in his actions. Think first, shoot second. 

"Do this, and we'll meet up once the dust settles. Memento mori," Annus smiled. There was always a twinkle in his eye when he spoke those words. He truly believed them, truly enjoyed the short time he knew he was allotted. Walking into a certain death, he was happy. Happy to push himself to the limits, happy to see what he could handle, and happy to live life to the fullest because death comes for us all at any moment. 

Unus smiled back, nodding slowly, "Memento mori," he echoed. 

💀💀💀

Time was ticking down. The tributes were all lined up, facing the cornucopia. They could see all of the supplies waiting for them. Some of the others seemed to be leaning forward, preparing to lunge and grab whatever they could. Others were uneasy, glancing around the arena. 

Unus looked from the cornucopia to the lineup. He knew all those faces, he and Annus had met most of them or at least seen them around. Knowing people was their game after all. Towards the other end, his eyes met Annus', who simply raised his chin and leaned forward slowly, ready to run. He had his eye on something he knew he could grab. 

Unus shifted his weight back a bit. The little detonator in his palm slid carefully down his hand as he moved his thumb over to press the button. He had no way of knowing what exactly was going to happen, but he trusted Annus. He trusted him with his life, that wasn't about to change now. 

3… 2...1…

The horn was barely heard as the ground shook somewhere in the center of the lineup and sent 4 of the tributes flying through the air. Those standing closest managed to flee towards the tree line, escaping into the forest while watching back over their shoulders, probably feeling lucky to be able to still do that much.

Unus grinned, jumping back off of his own podium and stepping backwards, it was even better than he could have hoped for. He watched around as the remaining tributes were fighting for the remains of supplies scattered on the ground. He caught sight of Annus making off into the forest as well, carrying something long and sharp. Seemed he found something useful. No use waiting around for anyone else to come on him, so Unus turned and ran into the forest. He tried to run towards where he saw Unus going, hoping to meet up with him sooner rather than later. 

It felt like hours were passing as Unus ran through the trees, trying to get his bearings. He knew the arena was huge, but there was an edge somewhere. There was no telling what might happen if he gets too close to it, it was best to try and circle around and stay close to the center. 

The sounds all around him were suspicious. There was a loud crack of a branch in the dark. He turned sharply, narrowing his eyes as he pressed his back into a tree. He needed to be cautious, he couldn’t let anyone get the upper hand and sneak up on him. There was the chance that it was just an animal, but he didn’t want to take that chance. He couldn’t trust any other district. Everyone was out for themselves. 

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for just a second, before hurrying off into the trees again.

**_Meanwhile…_ **

Annus had been impressed with the explosion. For a second, he wondered if Unus would really push it. He seemed hesitant to want to take the detonator before, but when the bombs actually went off, Annus felt that swell of pride. He wasted no time to run to the cornucopia and pick up whatever he could. The closest thing happened to be a trident and a pair of sais. Perfect. He shoved back someone who came too close in his peripheral. He didn’t even have enough time to process who it was. All he knew was that it wasn’t Unus. Even if it had been, he knew better than to sneak up on Annus like that. 

Watching as the non-Unus entity fell to the ground, he took off into the trees. There was a strange sense of belonging that went along with the rush of adrenaline. It was just what Annus had been expecting to feel. The life or death, the thrill of the chase and being chased, it was almost intoxicating. But, he needed to remember what he had come into the games for. It wasn’t just for the thrill. He was determined to see this through with Unus by his side. Annus stopped beside the river and looked around. He hadn’t seen which way Unus had gone, or even if he had seen which way Annus ran. 

Annus stabbed the trident into the ground, leaning the handle against himself as he raised his hands to his mouth and called out, “Ahh-nnus! Ahh-nnus!” He paused, hearing a sound coming towards him. He stepped back pulling the trident back out of the ground and held it aimed up towards the sound. 

“Whoa! Easy!” He was another tribute. A dark haired male from district 6, Anthony. Annus remembered him well enough, “I’m not here to fight, I swear.”

“You came to the wrong arena then,” Annus just raised an eyebrow, “It’s not exactly a peace arena.”

“I was just looking for the water source. We’re going to need it if we want to survive.”

Before Annus could say anything, something caught his eye just upriver coming towards them. He nodded past Anthony to what he saw, stepping around so he could aim at both the river and the other standing in front of him. Once the floating mass came closer, Annus paused before lowering the trident. It was a body, not one that had been in the count at the start. He pushed it with his trident until he could recognize one of the tributes from district 4, whose names he couldn’t care to remember. 

“I’d say you should find a different source,” Annus commented, pushing the body away. Anthony nodded a bit frantically before just hurrying off. The young man seemed to know more than he was letting on, like he knew the arena well enough to find a water source he was looking for. Annus narrowed his eyes, finding Unus was priority, but making some other allies wouldn’t hurt. 

He followed the way he saw Anthony run, just stalking off into the trees. Before long, he could hear the whispers and frantic voices of other tributes. They were frightened, adrenaline running hot in their veins. Such was the nature of these games. As Annus grew closer to them, the talking ceased. They all seemed to shift around, keeping close as they moved back. Breath held, eyes wide. Perfect victims. But, there were too many of them. Annus needed to rationalize this a bit. 

“I come in peace,” he held his hands up, the trident pointed down to the ground, “I’m just looking for someone else.”

“Its alright, he’s the one I saw by the river,” Anthony assure the others, stepping closer to Annus, “I’m Anthony, thats Ian, Jake, Shane, and Logan.”

Annus nodded, looking around as the rest of the group seemed to move a bit closer to him, “Annus. If we’re going to get out of this, we should work together. There are others out there that are far more bloodthirsty than you know.”

The one called Jake stepped closer, “And you? Why should we trust you?”

Annus just smiled his charming smile and nodded to the trident he held, “I could always just kill one or two of you now if you’d rather just get it out of the way,” he looked from face to face as they seemed to silently debate his words. Annus just sighed, “Look, I’m not asking you to trust me completely. We’ll stand more of a chance if we stay in a group at the start. So?”

A heartbeats worth before the group just turned away, “Fine, for now,” Shane held Annus’ gaze for a moment longer before they started to move again.

Annus gave a proud smile and lowered his hands. He glanced off to the side into the forest, silently hoping Unus could manage to keep himself alive for at least a little while. Once he gained his bearings, and gathered enough supplies for two for a few days, he’d go looking for his friend. 


	2. Night 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memento mori everyone. Rest assured, I have plans to finish this even as the channel had passed from this world. That being said, I am desperately trying to participate in NaNoWriMo, so the rest of November may be a bit tight for it. This chapter I had mostly written already, but the rest may come a bit easier. Thank you guys for reading! More will come soon, as soon as I can I promise! ♥️

Annus, despite being in a dangerous game he had to fight to survive in, was really enjoying himself. This little group had some interesting faces, and surprisingly upbeat attitudes. They all still were wary of him, but not enough to dissuade them from the thrill of the experience. 

As it turned out, he and Unus weren't the only ones chosen alongside someone familiar. Jake and Logan were brothers, and Ian and Anthony were friends. Annus only wished his partner were there with them so he could rub it in his face that they likely weren't the only ones trying to game the system. Why else would these other districts send brothers and friends?

"You said you were looking for someone," Anthony spoke up, interrupting the jovial chat and singsong storytelling that had started, "This game brings out the true nature of every one of us, you know. It's everyone for themselves."

"That may be true, but this game doesn't control me," Annus just shrugged, confident as always, "I control my own fate."

"Whoa, didn't realize you had a death wish, bro. That's kinda dark," Logan looked to his brother Jake, as if to confirm with him what he thought of Annus. Jake just nodded, it was, in fact, pretty dark to think. 

Annus, however, just rolled his eyes, "I don't have a death wish. I just need to find Unus. We're stronger as a team, and he's out there alone."

"He's dead then."

"Not yet, he isn't."

Silence fell back over the group. They couldn't be sure what he meant by his words, and honestly they didn't want to know. They all just moved away, keeping to themselves, while keeping an eye on Annus at the edge of their little camp. 

Annus kept his back against a tree, watching the group ahead of him. He wasn't as worried about them attacking him in the night, not as much as he was concerned about who else was in the forest waiting. The initial adrenaline was wearing down in them all, leaving behind the increasing paranoia. It would only get worse as time went on, and as the tributes thinned out. They needed to get the upper hand quick, before someone got the upper hand on them. 

A smile on his face, Annus hummed a fairly cheery tune as he faded off to sleep. 

\----

The moon was rising, full as it climbed higher in the sky. The dark sky was dotted with clouds, just enough to cover some stars here and there, the light from the moon still illuminating every part of the forest it touched. The figures running yards ahead of Unus couldn't disappear, he could see every movement. Every branch they broke and every rock they disturbed with their steps. They were very quickly coming to the edge of the arena, there'd be nowhere left to run. 

Unus could tell there were at least two of them, with one always in his sight. Whenever he could tell the other one was trying to get away, he moved to the opposite side, forcing them to stay in view. The other, directly in front, always reacted by staying close to the one fleeing. He didn't seem to want to face this man chasing him on his own. 

Wise, but not quite smart. 

Through the dark of the night, Unus could see when the tribute ahead of him finally got the forcefield. It lit up as it threw the young man back. He went flying, and then there was silence. Unus stopped before he got too close, but even from the distance he was, he could see he didn't have to worry. The man's head lay at an unnatural angle, broken from where he hit the tree when he was thrown back. 

Unus took one more step closer, but, it didn't seem like he had anything on him. Worthless, even in death. Oh well, time to move on. He bowed his head for just a moment before he turned away from the fallen tribute and narrowed his eyes at the trees. There had been one other person running with this one, but they must have gone a different way before they got too close to the barriers edge. They were probably long gone by now. Unus sighed, shaking his head as he made his way back across the forest. 

In the distance, he could see a bright light, flickering in the dark, licking past trees as he started to move closer. Unus knew it was a fire, but, the question was who started it and if they would mean him any harm. He could take a chance on the dark, hope the other he had been chasing was long gone, or try and make an ally. 

The latter was more appealing. 

The first was quite large once he was close enough to feel the heat. It was in the center of a small clearing, just barely small enough to not quite reach the trees around it. A woman sat beside it, basking in the heat. She seemed to be on high alert, but Unus couldn't really tell with the way she stared into the bright glow of the pyre before her. 

He moved closer, cautious, hesitant. Maybe if she didn't notice him he could get by quietly. As he was close enough to feel the heat, her head snapped up and she jumped to her feet to approach him. 

"You! The one clad in darkness, partnered with the one in light!" The woman exclaimed as she got right in Unus' face. He had stepped back, leaning away, but she still insisted on being as close as possible, "Your eyes, even, are as dark as night to closer you look."

Unus just gave a weird look, knowing full well his eyes were pretty far from dark, "Uh, no? I'd say they're pretty light. I mean, Annus' are pretty dark--"

"I see what you do not, it seems," she raised her hands towards his face, palms to him as if to touch him, "Darkness is inside you, but, that's alright, isn't it? You knew that much."

Unus shivered at her words, leaning further back before reaching up to push her away. Further from her bonfire, he felt the chill from the night air. It was colder than he realized, but her words as well seemed to hold some sort of weight, "Okay! Well, I'm just gonna go… you enjoy… whatever it is you're doing," a nervous laugh escaped him as he tried to move around her. 

"Hey!" The woman grabbed his arm, yanking him back from he could get away, "Don't you walk away! You won't survive, you don't have it in you. You know that, your partner knows that."

"What do you know?!" Unus tried to yank his arm back, turning on her in an instant. 

"Why else are you alone?"

Unus felt his blood run cold. No, it wasn't the night air after all. His thoughts and rawest emotions were on display and he hadn't even realized it. There was no time for self doubt, or doubt in Annus. They needed to survive, they had to. Unus shoved the woman back as hard as he could, she stumbling towards the fire, "You don't know me. I'll prove you wrong, you and everyone else here," including himself, "Just you wait."

He started to move away, hurrying quickly from the fire until he could feel the heat, see the light, or hear her words anymore. Back on track, he needed to find Annus. One thing he didn't want to admit, he couldn't survive on his own. They were stronger together, they always had been. Once they reunited, all of the other tributes would feel the wrath they had to unleash. For a moment, as he stalked ahead on a war path, walking along a path through the trees, his eyes went completely dark. A smirk started to curl his lips. 

A crack of a stick snapped him back, his eyes fading back to their blueish green hue as he came back to his senses. He placed his back against a near tree and dropped himself down to the ground. He moved around the tree until he couldn't be seen from the path he had been walking, and held his breath. It went quiet, completely silent. Nothing seemed to shift in the dark, not even a breeze shuffled the leaves in the tree above him. Had he imagined it? He never saw which way that other person went he had been chasing. Had they found him after he was yelling at that crazy fire lady?

"This is going I be a long, fucking, night," he whispered to himself, eyes wide as he listened intently around him.


End file.
